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Daylight saving silence 'deafening'

Marissa Calligeros

Advocates of daylight saving in southeast Queensland say the issue will not disappear, despite a bill for a referendum on a dual time zone in the state being stonewalled in Parliament late last night.

More than one year after independent MP Peter Wellington tabled the bill calling for a referendum on daylight saving for southeast Queensland only, MPs took less than one hour to dismiss the issue in Parliament.

The bill was briefly raised in a week dominated by debates over the State Budget, but generated little discussion in the house, with southeast Queensland members from both major parties remaining silent.

Independent MPs, including Liz Cunningham, Aidan McLindon and Dorothy Pratt, spoke in favour of the bill alongside Mr Wellington, but they lacked adequate support from the major parties for there to be a vote on the floor.

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Mr Wellington said the major parties refused to allow there to be an all-party parliamentary committee to discuss the issue ahead of a referendum.

"The government and the opposition refused to have a bar of it," he said.

A poll on daylight saving last year divided the state along city and regional lines, with two-thirds of people from outside southeast Queensland opposing a referendum.

Southeast Queenslanders overwhelmingly supported daylight saving, with 67 per cent of respondents favouring a referendum and 70 per cent backing a split timezone trial period in the in the online poll conducted by the state government.

At the time Premier Anna Bligh said she must govern in the interests of all Queenslanders and would not support a split timezone for the state.

Both Labor and the LNP oppose daylight saving.

Jason Furze, leader of the Daylight Saving for South-East Queensland Party said he was disappointed that MPs had allowed party politics to override democracy.

"Not all the independents who voted in the favour of the bill were in favour of daylight saving, but all of them were in favour of putting it out to the people at the polls by a referendum," Mr Furze said.

"Right from the start we, as DS4SEQ, have been calling for both major parties to have a conscience vote allowing each elected member to truly represent their constituents.

"The Gold Coast members were notably absent and silent during this debate ... their silence was deafening."

Mr Furze said the failure of the bill was not the end of his party or his cause.

"The issue of daylight saving will always be a problem until it is adequately resolved. If the solution could be a dual time zone, let's at least give it a go before we dismiss it," he said.

"The issue is still simmering and it's going to and we're going to continue to drive that."

53 comments so far

Only Big Business and those easily brainwashed by their propaganda want Daylight Saving.

Sorry forgot , also some selfish "b"s in SEQ.. forget the rest of Queensland.. they don't count.

Commenter

My Curtains are fine

Location

Ashgrove

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 9:14AM

Democracy at work. The Ferny Grove electorate had a vast majority in favour of DLS4SEQ but the local member, Geoff Wilson, did not represent the wishes of his electorate.bye bye Geoff. I want MY elected representative, to represent the views of the majority of HIS constituency, not the views of the Party.

Commenter

BLUE

Location

Ferny Grove

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 9:26AM

We HAD a referendum on this some 15 to 20 odd years ago, it was a decisive decision against daylight savings. Splitting the state into time zones makes a hash out of the whole 'it makes it hard to do business with the southern states' deal, which was never a good argument anyway as we all seem to manage to deal with SA and WA and even companies on the other side of the planet just fine.

In this case, government is right to leave the debate be. It's a waste of time and money to run a referendum that they seem already fairly certain they would lose. It's a dumb issue that would have long been forgotten if the media didn't keep airing it out every few months. I guess because it gets hits. Considering I'm commenting here, I'm probably perpetuating the problem.

But it's ridiculous that there's a 'Party' based on it! Is that really the kind of policy worth naming a party over? Sounds like somebody gave a big important name to an informal club.

Commenter

Ree

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 9:29AM

I get to watch different foxtel shows for 6 months of the year because I live in Brisbane & during daylight saving Sydney is one hour ahead of Brisbane. I will have to get blackout curtains if Brisbane gets daylight saving . I have to get up at 430 in summer as it is as the sun comes in my window & I can't get any sleep. I will have 2 choices if we get daylight saving get up at 330 sort of & also wait for the sun to go down so that I can go to bed. Any vote for daylight saving is a vote to give me free blackout curtains & install them for free as well.

Commenter

pure health

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 9:50AM

Referring to the results of a referendum that took place 20 years ago is ridiculous and proves how out of touch and outdated many Queenslanders seem to be. Times are changing but QLD seems to be happy to be stuck in the past.

Commenter

Tictac

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 9:51AM

Why not put the clocks forward 12 hours? that should keep everyone happy, well it would save a lot more daylight.

Commenter

earthling

Location

fnq

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 10:03AM

"my curtains are fine", try living on the border. The co ordination in the one household of who works goes to school, has sport, parties etc in which state is a logistical nightmare come daylight saving time, it should be both all or nothing.

Commenter

beachey

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 10:09AM

@BLUE"bye bye Geoff. I want MY elected representative, to represent the views of the majority of HIS constituency, not the views of the Party."

YOU selected Geoff to represent your shire according to his beliefs and party. YOU chose a representative to make decisions on your behalf.You want to do something differently? Then quit whinging, get off your computer and show the same hard-work and dedication Geoff has by getting out and contributing something to society.

Commenter

slug bait

Date and time

June 16, 2011, 10:14AM

The hysterical minority are still attempting to dictate terms in Queensland. The constant referral about a referendum held in the early 1990s is hogwash. Many people who voted no then would have long since passed away. Yes, there should be referendum, but it should only be open to those who get up every day and go to work, or those who send small children off to school. Non workers and the 'faded curtain' brigade should just put up and shut up.